


I Can't Let Spider-Man Die

by RIPhimiko



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mentor/Protégé
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2019-10-16 00:11:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17538971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RIPhimiko/pseuds/RIPhimiko
Summary: Miles Morales watched Peter Parker die at the hands of the Kingpin.But what if things went differently?





	1. Tired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Peter Parker, the Ultimate Spider-Man.

 

Alright, let’s do this one last time.

My name is **Peter Parker.**

I was bitten by a radioactive spider and for 10 years I’ve been the one and only: **Spider-Man!**

I’m pretty sure you know the rest. I saved a bunch of people. Fell in love. I graduated college and got my degree in Chemical Engineering. I saved the city again and again and again. Hey, I even got married!

Look, I’m a comic book, a cereal, have an excellent theme song and I even had a Christmas album and a popsicle we don’t talk about. I’m pretty much a celebrity! I even have a Spider-Cave, if that’s enough proof.

Well anyways, big bad guy called the **Kingpin** _(emphasis on big)_ funded some interdimensional gizmo thing that will _probably_ make New York or the world or the universe implode, no pressure and all that.

Took a while to find it. Like a _LONG_ while. I got in a lot of tussles with some disposable goons and my good friends of the **Sinister Six** , forgot to get a coffee, my webbing is almost out, my feet also hurt.

Met a kid who’s like me. Thought I was alone, so that’s a relief. Promised I’ll show him the web ropes when I finish punching some guys and saving the universe so I left him in a safe spot.

Though good ol’ Norman decided it was a nice idea to put me face first into the beam of the gigantic death portal thingy and that hurt a bit. Saw some things I wish I didn’t see. Like getting an explosion to the face point blank and having the ceiling fall on you.

And now I… don’t feel so good. The kid’s here, I’m telling him it’s alright and I’ll get back up. I mean, I _always_ do.

I’m the **Ultimate** Spider-Man after all.

 

* * *

 

Peter was tired.

It was a nonstop two weeks of tracking down the Kingpin’s cronies with barely any rest. He had battled through countless warehouses, construction sites and laboratories of dozens and dozens of goons all trying to kill him.

Mercenaries, petty thugs, scientists, even policemen who were in the Kingpin’s pocket stood in his way. It hadn’t helped that somehow the crime boss also recruited the Sinister Six to impede Peter’s progress to finding the Super Collider.

Green Goblin, Electro, Scorpion, Doc Ock, Vulture, and Sandman...

Peter caught himself upon the scorch mark covered stone walls of the corridor he was in, taking a quick moment to catch his breath. He looked back at several members of the Six he managed to finally take down.

Vulture was strung up by his destroyed wings with heavy amounts of webbing, his pilot helmet cracked open with the man behind the mask drooling a bit. Both Doc Ock and Scorpion were hogtied on their respective metallic appendages with webbing with Sandman not too far off melting into a grate after a heavy blast of water thanks to a broken pipe. Said water also managed to short circuit Electro out of commission and he was slumped up against the wall.

“Five down… one to go.” Peter said to himself with a smirk. He overheard the final villain’s monstrous roar from further down the corridor he was in.

“Right. Of course it’s gotta be Norman. It’s _always_ Norman…” He sighed deeply and pushed himself off the wall, despite his body shouting at him to rest he still broke into a sprint to catch the last of the Six.

Moments later Spider-Man was doing battle with the Green Goblin. Peter tried to reason with him, explaining how the Super Collider would open up a black hole right under Brooklyn. Unfortunately Goblin was not having it and continued his barrage of pumpkin bombs and slashes. Peter had no choice but to keep fighting on as there was no convincing Osborn.

Their battle was brought into the seemingly unending spacing that held the Super Collider and Peter only had a moment to observe just how massive this machine was.

_Okay. No pressure. Just a **huge** potentially world ending piece of scrap. If I don’t stop this… then who else can? There’s **no** back up. No Avengers, no X-Men, no Fantastic Four, not even Matt, Jessica, Luke or Danny are around… I’m the only one… I’m the only one who can do this. I’m the only one—_

His train of thought was interrupted by his Spider-Sense going off and he turned his head mid swing, there was a small figure falling! Even his ears could pick up his scream from all the way here.

He was about to land a strong hit on Goblin but he instead adjusted his momentum and flung himself towards the figure. Getting closer and closer showed it was a kid, a teenager no less. He caught him by the end of his jacket and carried him over to a railing nearby.

Peter set the kid down and backed up some to give both of them air to breathe. He observed the teenager, he couldn’t be any older than 13 or 14. He looked scared out of his mind and for good reason. He had some cool shoes though.

“You know your shoes are untied?” Spider-Man asked to lighten the mood.

“U-Uh huh…” The kid nodded nervously.

Peter smiled beneath his mask. “This is a onesie so I don’t really have to worry about it.”

His Spider-Sense went off again, but it was a slight tingle, just enough that it wasn’t incoming danger… it was _something_ else.

Peter’s eyes squinted and the boy before him did the same, the world around them seemed to change color at the same time.

_I’m… not alone?_

He could not suppress how joyful he felt at this very moment.

“I thought I was the only one…” Peter said with a heavy amount of relief. “You’re like me.”

“I don’t want to be…” The boy responded, blinking quickly.

He knew that feeling all too well.

“I don’t think you have a choice kiddo.” Peter regrettably pointed out. He recounted his own personal experiences. “There’s a lot going through your head I’m sure…”

The kid seemed to be calming down a bit now, his facial expression soothing out as he answered. “Yeah…”

“You’re gonna be fine.” He reassured calmly with his hands up. “I can help you. If you stick around, I can show you the ropes!” He smiled to himself at the unintended spider puns, he just couldn’t help himself. His exhaustion and frustration with this entire debacle was momentarily lifted at the sight of this kid before him.

A chance to mentor a new Spider-Man! He only wished he had someone guide his hand when he himself was starting out, but he had to do everything on his own. But now… he can make sure that won’t happen to another young man, he’ll teach him everything he knows. He can finally sleep a night not worried to death but instead reassured knowing Spider-Man is out there keeping the city safe. He can finally spend more time with MJ… and maybe… he can finally get some rest.

The kid looked seemed just as excited, his expression no longer frightened but a calm, weary smile instead. “Yeah…”

Unfortunately for the both of them, large rumbling interrupted their spider moment. They both turned their gaze to see the machine activating.

_It’s never easy is it. Rest can wait, then._

“I just need to… destroy this big machine real quick before the space time continuum collapses.” Peter explained casually, pointing a thumb back at the Super Collider. “Don’t move.” He hopped up on the railing and readied himself.

Spider-Man looked back at the boy. Those worried but hopeful look in his eyes. “See ya in a bit.” He smirked and swung off.

He had to admit, scaling the Super Collider was a simple effort but he made sure to make it extra fancy for the kid. As a way of showing _“you can do this too one day!”_ definitely. He landed the ceiling and began crawling, searching for the opening grate.

Peter was able to find what he was looking for and opened it up, getting the goober ready in his hand.

“Alright folks!” He went to insert the goober and hesitated. _Was it upside down or rightside up?_ “Ugh, I always get this wrong…”

Spider-Sense rang, much louder and stronger. That means…

“Oh boy.”

A streak of purple light and a metallic gloved hand grabbed him by the throat, tackling him right off the ceiling. He knew that gaudy outfit anywhere…

“Prowler!” He strained with a heavy hand wrapping tight around his neck.

They struggled in the air, with Spider-Man trying to strike the Prowler off of him but the villain was persistent and quick. Figures the Kingpin would get his personal bodyguard to attack him last second.

He was knocked right into the revolving portion of the collider, he laid his head down watching the metal swerving right before him.

It was then Peter Parker remembered how he really felt. That excitement of guiding a new Spider-Man, the relief of almost shutting down the collider, all taken away as he’s dragged back into another fight.

“I am so tired.”

Everything after that seemed to have been a blur. Goblin returned and joined the fight, so Spider-Man had to deal with one well rested villain and one monstrous villain that’d usually take a team to beat. The collider activated and he pleaded with not just Kingpin, but everyone listening. The blinding beam of light seemed to consume everything and change things around it like color or shape. It was then once he got away from the two villains he rushed to swing back in a last ditch effort to destroy the collider, but Norman caught him and dragged him right into the beam.

All Peter could think of before the entire structure collapsed and the explosion erupted right before his eyes was if the kid he just met was safe.

**...**

Miles Morales didn’t ask for any of this. These confusing powers, this entire situation. He’s glad he met Spider-Man, he even offered to guide him. But he only wished it was under different circumstances. Especially when he sees the same hero laid out before him, covered in rubble and his costume heavily damaged.

He rushed over almost immediately and threw off some of the rubble covering Spider-Man. “Hey, hey, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine… just resting.” Peter casually waved off. He was far from fine and he knew it. But he had to calm the kid down. Though the kid seemed to not believe him. But he’s glad the kid was safe.

Miles didn’t know why Spider-Man was trying to lie to him about his health. But he further prodded. “Can't you get up?”

“Yeah…” Peter sighed and let out a weak laugh, resting his head back. The laugh wasn’t from joy at all. "Yeah, I always get up.” He lost count of how many times he’s said that lie.

Miles’ worry didn’t falter as the hero began to let out raspy coughs. “The coughing’s probably not a good sign…”

Before he could interject, they both overheard distant speaking. Someone was coming.

 _Oh no… oh no no no…_ Peter had no choice now.

“Listen, we gotta team up here we don’t have that much time.” He opened up Miles’ fingers and handed him the goober and one of his webshooters. “This override key is the only way to stop the collider. Swing up there, use this key, push the button and blow it up.” He hated doing this to such a young man, these hastily made instructions. “I already set the webshooter on the standard web string mode, you don’t have to use any of the other settings.”

Miles looked down at the things he was handed. He doesn’t even know how Spider-Man’s webshooters worked, much less how to blow up that huge machine.

“You need to hide your face…” Peter continued, staring right into the kid’s eyes. He hated this so much. A kid this age shouldn’t have to deal with such a horrible situation like this. “You don’t tell anyone who you are. _No one_ can know. He’s got _everyone_ in his pocket.”

Miles wasn’t sure who he was talking about, but Spider-Man continued nonetheless.

“If he turns the machine on everything you know will disappear… your family… _everyone_.”

The image of Miles' parents and uncle appeared in his head. His family.

Peter knew his time was up now. He had to pass the torch.

“Promise me you’ll do this.” He whispered to the next Spider-Man.

Miles stared into that one blue eye behind the cracked eye lense of the mask. Spider-Man couldn’t get up. He had to finish his work. He had to save everyone. He didn’t know if he could, but he has to. He was scared out of his mind and the man that was supposed to mentor him was here dying.

“I promise…” He finally said.

That’s all Peter needed to hear. ”Go! Destroy the collider! I’ll come and find you!” He watched as the teenager run off, but take one look back at him. He coughed and waved, trying to reassure him one more time. “It’s gonna be okay…”

Miles climbed atop some destroyed machinery and scanned the ceiling, until he locked eyes with the opened grate where the override key was supposed to be inserted to. He clipped the webshooter around his right wrist and gulped, aiming it right above his head.

He stopped in his tracks when he heard voices, the same voices from earlier were much closer now. He crawled over to another side and saw a towering and imposing man walk towards Spider-Man.

 _Oh no…_ His eyes widened.

He heard Spider-Man call the man Kingpin, so this must be the villain behind this entire debacle. He let out a tiny gasp when he saw the man remove the hero’s mask, revealing a young man with blonde hair. Miles didn’t know just how bad Spider-Man’s condition was until he saw how beat and blooded his face was.

Peter tried to plead with Kingpin again. He knew it wasn’t going to work but he had to try. Of course, he wasn’t having it. As evidenced by the Prowler returning with his clawed gloves ready to finish off Peter.

One last chance. He told Kingpin what he saw within the beam of the collider. He knew what he was trying to do. Kingpin was trying to bring his family back.

But he told him. It won’t work. They’re gone. His family is gone.

Kingpin closed his eyes, anger boiling, his large fists wrapped tight.

Peter knew this was it.

He’s so tired. He’s already accepted his fate but...

_MJ… I want to see MJ._

He heard Kingpin let out a yell, but one of pain. His eyes widened at the sight of a blue lighting pulsing through Kingpin and Prowler. That looked like…

“My taser webs…?” He gasped.

Miles couldn’t let this happen. He had to save Spider-Man. He didn’t know how the webshooters worked but he mashed buttons and shot out something useful. Something that stunned the villains with a high amount of voltage. He rushed down quick and with his hoodie thrown over his head tight, he had to hide his face just as Spider-Man said.

“What are you doing?!” Peter exclaimed. “These guys will kill you! You promised to destroy the collider!”

“I will! But I have to save you first!” Miles scrambled and gripped his hands around the cement rubble covering Spider-Man’s legs.

“Kid, you have to get out of here! It’s too late for me!” Peter practically begged at this point, tears threatening to burst from his eyes as a teenager was risking his life for the mistakes he made.

“No! I can’t let Spider-Man die!” Miles strained as he tried to lift the concrete.

Peter’s blue eyes widened, he has never met someone that didn’t want him dead. He watched as the kid struggle to lift it and over to the side as the taser webs continued to do their work. He knew they were going to run out of juice soon, so he gripped his hands around the rubble covering him as well. “Neither can I...!” He said, directing that towards the boy.

He wasn’t going to let the kid’s life go to waste here. He was going to save him. He’s the ultimate Spider-Man after all…

Until he realized the sharp pain in his legs shot through him like a bullet.

The rubble was off but it felt like…

“I… I can’t move my legs.” Peter said in a hushed tone.

Miles’ eyes went up like headlights but he moved quickly. He learned how to perform a fireman carry from his father and he applied it here. His newfound abilities made him stronger than he used to be, but they were still fresh. He managed to heave Spider-Man up over his shoulder and bolted out as fast as he could.

“I can’t move my legs. I can’t feel my legs. I can’t…” Peter repeated over and over. His body was thrashing around as his larger frame was held by the smaller boy, but he was doing a good job getting out.

He heard the web taser end. As well as Kingpin yelling.

“ _ **KILL THEM BOTH!**_ ”

Jet boots erupted, it meant Prowler was coming.

Peter had to help. He still had one webshooter and two mildly decent arms. He activated multiple settings to cover their escape with large web nets and blobs of impact webbing to impede the progress of Prowler. He kept shooting until the web fluid ran out and the webshooter eventually short circuited. “Keep running, kid…” He felt his eyes go heavy.

“I am! Don’t give up on me yet, Spider-Man, please!” Miles begged between heavy breaths.

He had to go somewhere. But carrying an injured superhero in public wasn’t the smartest idea. There could be other villains or people working for the Kingpin out looking for them both. He had to go somewhere safe… somewhere with people he trusts.

He had to go home.

Miles managed to carry Spider-Man out of the inner city system finally and onto the surface, but he took a turn into an alleyway to hide. He tried to carefully set down the hero and prop him up behind a dumpster and he slumped right down next to him.

Both of them felt the burning pain in their chests as their breathed in the freezing air of New York City. They tried to keep silent as they heard heavy footsteps, a shadow appeared from the stairway and looked around. Miles shot up and held a hand over his mouth, peaking out to see the purple dressed figure peeking off to a different direction, finally out of sight.

They were safe.

Miles laid back next to Spider-Man and rubbed his face.

“Hey…” He heard the hero call out.

Miles looked over to see the blonde man had a small smile on his face. “Not bad, kid.”

He shared the smile now as well. “Thanks…”

“What’s your name, by the way?” Spider-Man asked, holding up his hand weakly.

“I…” Miles grasped the hero’s hand and firmly shook it. “I’m Miles Morales.”

“Good to meet you Miles.” The hero nodded. “I’m... Peter Parker.”

The teenager nodded in return and allowed their hands to release and fall back on their legs.

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Parker.”

“Ah just Peter is fine, buddy. Mr. Parker makes me feel old…”

The two shared a chuckle together, as they stared up at the dark star filled sky peeking through the alleyway’s rooftops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically what if blonde peter/ripeter didn't die in the spider-verse
> 
> stay tuned


	2. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spider-Man meets the Morales family.

“Where is Miles? He should be home by now…” Jefferson Davis, well respected PDNY officer and father of Miles voiced his concern aloud. He was pacing by the door and sending texts and phone calls to his son.

“ _Mi amor_ , maybe his phone died, no?” Rio Morales, hard working nurse and mother of Miles tried to ease her husband. “You know we should get him a new one, that one he has constantly runs out of battery.”

“But it still works! I mean, have you seen how tied these children are nowadays to their cell phones?” Jefferson responded back, eyes still glued on his phone. Rio grinned at that ironic sight.

Loud pounding at their apartment door both brought them out of it and both tensed up immediately. Jefferson placed his phone in his pocket and reached for his handgun and taser from within a cabinet. He tossed his wife the taser and he held up the handgun, slowly approaching the door.

“Police! What’s your business?” Jefferson said loud enough to be heard behind his door.

“Dad!” Miles’ voice was all he needed to hear. “Let me in, I-I lost my keys!”

“Miles?” Jefferson holstered his pistol and Rio rushed to the doorway as well to open it.

The two parents were relieved to see their son alive and well. But they were not relieved to see a half dead Spider-Man hanging around his shoulders.

“Help… Spider-Man… please…” Miles pleaded between breaths. Carrying a grown man throughout the city has taken a toll on him and he collapsed down, but his parents were quick to catch both him and Spider-Man.

Rio was quick to check Miles herself up close. “ _Gracias a Dios_ , Miles is fine.” She sighed but she couldn’t say the same for the blonde man in the red and blue suit. “This man is in critical condition, _mi amor_ bring both of them to the couches while I fetch my medical bag!” And without another word she ran off, leaving Jefferson holding his son and the superhero he hated so much.

“Wait Rio!” He called out to her and looked down. He held Miles tight in one arm and Spider-Man at a considerable distance. He was glad Miles was safe but his concern was consumed more by the superhero before him.

That suit, despite being damaged to hell and back, was the real deal. The materials and “webshooters” as some officers in his precinct called them were legit. He only knew the man when he wore a mask, running around as if the city was his playground and making the police’s job harder. But he never thought once that this man too was human. Jefferson’s eyes narrowed at the blonde man and he gulped audibly. He didn’t realize just how _young_ Spider-Man really was.

He shook himself out of the thought and began to carry both Miles and Spider-Man over to the couches.

**...**

_“It can’t be worth the risk.” Spider-Man pleaded._

_“It’s not always about the money, Spider-Man…” Kingpin noted with a hint of darkness._

_Prowler approached Spider-Man with his clawed arms at the ready._

_“Don’t you know what I saw in there?!” The wallcrawler tried one more time._

_Kingpin held up his hand at Prowler. “Wait.”_

_“I know what you’re trying to do… and it won’t work…” Spider-Man’s blue eyes stared into Kingpin’s dark pits of eyes. “They’re gone.”_

_Miles watched, body frozen, eyes wide open, as Kingpin let out a roar and slammed his two fists down onto Peter’s chest. A sickening crack of his bones followed and his body went limp. Spider-Man was dead._

Miles awoke in a cold sweat, scrambling out of his sheets. He breathed in and out hard as he stared around, he was in his old room back at home. He was still in his clothes and he wondered if it was all a dream as he rubbed his face. Something metal touched his face and he held out his wrist to see the one piece of evidence he needed to know that it wasn’t a dream. Spider-Man’s webshooter.

“Peter…!” He threw off his sheets and ran out his door into the living room.

He ran right into his father’s broad back. Jefferson looked back at Miles, he had never seen his father in such a low mood before. The officer placed a hand on his shoulder, and guided him forward. Rio was hard at work, tending to Peter’s injuries.

“I-Is he going to be okay?” Miles asked in a shaken voice. Peter looked dead, but he stared at his chest where the spider emblem lay on his costume. There was breathing. No caved in chest bones or anything.

“ _Si_ Miles. Be glad you brought him here as quickly as you could, otherwise…” Rio didn’t want to finish the sentence as she finished up wrapping large amounts of bandages around Peter’s ribs.

Jefferson let out a sigh and took a knee next to Miles. “Miles… you or him are going to have to explain everything.”

“I’ll try…” He couldn’t even meet his father’s gaze.

“Let’s start on this first.” Jefferson briefly glanced over at Spider-Man. “Is that really…?”

The young man nodded with his bottom lip sucked in. He held up his hand, showing the webshooter on his wrist. He even demonstrated by pressing the trigger, shooting a strand of webbing across the room.

Rio and Jefferson traded looks with one another. Never in their respective careers would they have thought this would happen. In their own home, any less.

The moment of silence was interrupted by Spider-Man suddenly stirring awake. He was trying to raise his body already but Rio gently laid him back down. “ _Lo siento_ , Spider-Man, but you are in no condition to be moving right now.” She said in her stern nurse tone.

“Wait…” Spider-Man groaned in pain as he was laid back down. “W-Where am I?” He felt around his face. No mask.

“You’re in the Morales household, Spider-Man.” Jefferson informed the hero with his own stern cop voice.

“Morales…?” Spider-Man glanced around and found sight of the kid he met, Miles. “Hey buddy.” He offered with a weak smile, his shoulders released their tension. Miles returned the smile back.

“You have several broken bones and bruises all over your body.” Rio started towards the superhero. “I do not have the right equipment to fully give a proper analysis, but I patched up what I could.”

“Thank you--” Spider-Man grimaced at the pain again. There was something wrong. He couldn’t feel… “My… legs.”

“The bones in your legs were severely damaged from what I assume a very heavy weight.” The nurse said, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Spider-Man but… I do not think you will be able to walk again.”

“Oh.” That was all Peter could muster.

He’s sure his spine was injured too. He’s paralyzed.

_Oh._

“It… had to happen someday, right. With me jumping around like a total goof.” Spider-Man attempted to joke with a very see through smile. Rio, Jefferson and Miles could tell it was a false gesture.

Jefferson stood up and approached the superhero carefully. “I’m going to need to know everything that happened, Spider-Man.” He said as he sat down on the coffee table, near Rio and Spider-Man.

“I was never good at reporting to cops. I usually had a friend for that.” The blonde man gingerly admitted.

“Then we’ll try to make it as easy as possible.” The police officer responded. It felt so strange speaking to Spider-Man face to face. Usually the webslinger would have swung off with a curt joke after rounding up a couple of criminals for him and his fellow officers to arrest.

“Okay…” Peter nodded and began his tale.

Jefferson and Rio listened in on Peter’s explanation about Wilson Fisk, the business entrepreneur who was actually a notorious mob boss with deep pockets and intimidating power. Since losing his wife and son, Wilson wanted to create a dimension opening device to pull in an alternate version of his family from another dimension. He had spend a great amount of time and money into building the Super Collider, as well as gathering enough forces including the Sinister Six and Prowler to impede Spider-Man’s progress. He noted how Miles was there and he saved him, but didn’t add the fact that he too had spider powers as well.

“What were you doing so far down in the subways?” Jefferson asked Miles with concern.

“I was…” Miles couldn’t exactly admit he was looking for the spider that bit him. “I was finishing up some art I did with Uncle Aaron.”

“You were with Aaron?” The officer questioned further with a hint of accusation.

Miles was bad with lying, but he tried his best. “No, no! When we started on it I was. But I came back alone to finish it. I heard some noises down and I went to investigate it and then I met Spider-Man..."

“I am just glad Spider-Man was able to rescue you.” Rio said, holding her son’s hand.

“That’s not the end of it, Mrs. Morales.” Peter spoke up again. “Miles here was the one who ended up saving my life.”

His parents both looked at the superhero and then to their son.

Peter explained how when the collider was blown up he was encased in rubble and on death’s door. Miles managed to bust him out by distracting the criminals with one of his webshooters and hauling him out of harm’s way.

“Your son’s an everyday hero, I’d say. He definitely gets it from you two.” Peter said with a smile to Jefferson and Rio, then nodded towards Miles.

It was all so much to take in for the two parents. But they decided it was best if they just believed the word of the superhero, after all what else could have injured him so severely if not something as insane as the story he tells?

“Spider-Man, you are in no condition to continue crime fighting. If what you say about Wilson Fisk is true, let me and my men look into it.” Jefferson began, but he was unsure exactly how he’d be able to take down such a large businessman.

“I’m sorry officer, but Fisk has lawyers, politicians and even police officers in his pockets.” Peter noted. “It’d be hard to build up a case against him or even find warrants. I usually relied on anonymous tips and…” He couldn’t exactly say that Captain Watanabe had been helping him on the Fisk case as well, he didn’t want her to lose her job. “Other heroes who dealt with him before like Daredevil.”

Jefferson rubbed his chin, brows furrowing. He didn’t want to admit it but Spider-Man was right. “Don’t worry. You just stay and rest. I’ll figure out something…”

“Wait.” Peter started up again. “Fisk saw my face. He didn’t see Miles’ face since he kept it hidden under his hoodie but… I can’t be here. I don’t want to put you all in risk.”

“ _Esta bien_ , Spider-Man. Me and my husband are perfectly capable of--” Rio was interrupted by Spider-Man.

“No, no. I can’t put anybody in danger again…” He tried to get up again but the pain was too much. “Fisk could have people all over the streets looking for me, it will only be a matter of time before…” He felt Rio and Jefferson ease him back on the couch.

“Listen Spider-Man…” Jefferson began slowly. “You can rely on me and Rio for tonight. We can get you to wherever you need be tomorrow morning, okay?”

“I…” Peter attempted to speak more but Rio pointed a sharp finger to his face.

“ _No hay excusas_. You need rest. You are in _nuestra casa_ , we will treat you like one of ours.” She had all the authority of a mother alright.

“Even if you are an illegal vigilante.” Jefferson joked with a shrug of his shoulders. That sure got a smile on the superhero’s face though.

“Thank you.” Peter said to Jefferson and Rio. “I really do appreciate it…”

“It’s no problem, Spider-Man.” Rio nodded.

After a brief pause, he decided to tell them the truth. “Peter. Peter Parker.”

“A pleasure, Mr. Parker.” Jefferson nodded. “I’m Jefferson, call me Jeff. My wife here is Rio.”

“Thank you again, all of you.” Peter smiled. He realized just how heavy his eyes felt, so he allowed them to close as he got comfortable on the couch.

“Come on, _hijo_. It is time for you to sleep as well.” Rio said to Miles, guiding him back to his room with Jefferson.

Miles looked back at Peter one more time before turning to his parents. “Thanks for helping him, guys. I thought…”

“That I wouldn’t help just because he’s a vigilante?” Jefferson finished for Miles. “Don’t be silly.”

“Our family never turns anyone in need down, Miles.” Rio stated and pinched her son’s cheek. “Now get to bed. _Rapido_.”

Miles smiled despite being babied. “ _Si mama_. Love you guys.”

“Love you too, son.” Both of them responded back and allowed Miles back into his room, where they closed the door for him.

**...**

Jefferson managed to arrange some extra clothes of Aaron’s for Peter to wear. Despite having super strength, Peter was a bit on the thinner side compared to Jefferson. Thankfully Aaron’s clothes were a perfect fit for the blonde young man and a baseball hat and a pair of sunglasses finished off the incognito look.

“Sure hope this ‘disguise’ works. I have no idea how Cap makes it work every time.” Peter mused aloud as he was settled in on an extra wheelchair Rio had in her closet.

“You’ve met Captain America?” Jefferson asked, genuinely curious. He didn't want to admit his excitement.

“Eh, here and there. I don’t really like hanging with the Avengers, too clique-y for me.” Peter admitted with a shrug and he was guided out the door with the Morales family.

“But… you’ve _met_ Captain America!” Miles pointed out, showing his excitement and a little extra for his father who was hiding it.

Peter chuckled, leaning in forward. “I stole his shield too.” That one got Miles to almost faint.

Rio had to get to work into an early shift, but she bid Peter good luck as well as her goodbye kisses for her husband and son. Watching Rio drive off, Jefferson and Miles guided Peter into the police car. It was thankfully a weekend, so Miles was able to come along instead of heading to school this early in the morning.

 _Not my first time in the back of a cop car._ Peter mentally said to himself in mild amusement. He looked over to his half opened bag, his ripped Spider-Man mask staring back at him. He let out a low sigh and zipped up the bag, relaxing back into his seat.

Jefferson had the address already inputted in his GPS and it was a bit of a silent trip.

They pulled up to the home, a quiet little neighborhood in Queens. Jefferson and Miles helped Peter out again and onto the wheelchair. Peter’s hands clenched on his bag, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to face May and MJ in this condition. He had only sent a text to both of them from Miles’ phone that he was coming home, noting that his own phone was destroyed in the battle with the Sinister Six.

Jefferson wheeled Peter up to the walkway with Miles right by their side.

“Are you gonna be okay…?” Miles asked cautiously.

“No...” Peter admitted with a sigh. “But I still gotta do it.” He held out one hand and fired a webshot to the doorbell, then tucked his hands in his pockets in anticipation.

The door was quick to open and there she stood. Her red hair was in a hastily made bun, her face was [pale and she hadn’t slept well, she was only in a bathrobe, sweatpants, and those fuzzy Spider-Man slippers he got her. She was just as beautiful as he remembered.

“Hi MJ…” Peter greeted with a weak smile.

Mary Jane held a hand over her mouth. Her eyes already were glazing over at the sight of her husband in a wheelchair.

Jefferson removed his hat and placed it to his chest. “Mrs. Parker.” He nodded. “I’m Officer Davis and this is my son Miles. Due to certain circumstances, we decided it would be the safest way that we guided your husband here ourselves.”

MJ nodded a thanks to the officer, but she was unable to get the words out. Peter looked past his wife to see his auntie emerge from the doorway as well. “Hi Aunt May…” He said, even weaker.

Aunt May was already in tears. She and MJ rushed over to Peter and crouched down before him, holding each of his hands respectively.

“Oh, Peter…” May said, grasping her nephew’s hand hoping to never let go. She could only look down on his legs and the fact he was in a wheelchair hadn’t helped.

Mary Jane was weeping into Peter’s chest, wrapping her other arm over his shoulder. She thought she lost him.

May had to be the stronger one. She got up and wiped the tears from her cheeks, then looked over at Jefferson and Miles. “Thank you, officer… We can take it from here.”

“Ma’am.” Jefferson nodded and placed his hat back on. “C’mon Miles.” He held a hand over his son’s shoulder and they walked back to the car.

Miles could only look back to see Peter surrounded by his loved ones. He was glad Peter is alive. He didn’t want to think about how hard it would’ve been if Mary Jane and Aunt May came out of their home to the news that Peter Parker, the Ultimate Spider-Man, was killed in action.

He continued to look at them even when he was inside the car. He watched as the two women guide Peter into the house. The very last moment, Peter looked back at Miles. He gave a comforting smile to reassure him everything will be okay before the door closed and Jefferson drove off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the kudos and comments i’ll try my best to keep this updated


	3. Retire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles eagerly awaits training from Peter.

The fact that Miles had spider powers still hadn’t left his mind. He was constantly reminded about them with the accidental sticking to his papers and markers, or breaking a couple door handles off at school and immediately running off without even bothering to hide the evidence. The worst case was when he stuck to that girl’s hair, Gwanda or Wanda or something, and it had to be shaven off much to his horror.

“Ugh, what a great first impression.” Miles grunted to himself, trying to pry his hands off the ceiling he was stuck to.

He hadn’t heard from Peter since him and his father dropped him off to his family’s home yesterday. He was promised to be trained but Miles chalked it up as Peter taking his time to recover and settle with his family. Plus, the older hero seemed very concerned with his face being seen by the Kingpin. Miles hoped his face wasn’t seen, because if someone like _that_ can scare Spider-Man of all people he doesn’t want to know just what that massive mob boss can do.

To make things worse, he had covered his room with web strands from wall to wall. Peter had allowed him to keep the single webshooter to practice with, but the web fluid eventually ran out from overuse. Miles planned to ask for more web ammo, but only if Peter brings it up.

His parents were out for the night, apparently they were going to pay Peter and Mary Jane a visit. He wasn’t sure why, he wanted to go with them. He deserves to be on any plans just as much as they do, but of course his father forbade him since he was only a kid and had to focus on school.

Miles finally pried himself off the ceiling and he landed softly in his bed, cutting his scream short. He sighed and covered his face. He feels like he couldn’t even go back to school thanks to that debacle with Gwanda. It was hard enough being the elephant in the room in that school, but that just made it so much worse.

He heard keys jingle and familiar voices speak. His new powers have heightened his senses and he got up out of bed, scrambling to take down all the web strands.

“Miles? We’re home!” Jefferson called out.

“Come out, _hijo_. We bought some WcDonald’s.” Rio playfully baited, placing the bag of fast food on the dinner table.

 _Oh, man. I love WcDonald’s._ Miles finished up as fast as he could cleaning up his room, he balled up the web and tossed it behind him into his trash can flawlessly.

Miles sat down with his parents and they all quietly ate dinner. The TV was on but it was simply noise to them. The air was heavy and Miles just knew they had something to talk about from their visit to the Parkers.

“So…” Miles attempted to begin while opening up for a bite of his burger.

“Miles.” Jefferson sighed, setting his food down. Before he could continue any further, he was cut off by the TV announcing breaking news.

“New York City’s very own hero: Spider-Man... has been found dead.”

The teen immediately turned his sights to the TV, eyes pried wide open. _But Peter was okay, right?_

The newscaster continued, “The body was found by radio host J. Jonah Jameson, who has had a history of writing about Spider-Man when he headed the Daily Bugle years ago. Jameson?”

Miles remembered this man. _He's that_ _angry guy on the radio blaming everything on Spider-Man and something about water turning frogs straight?_

“I’m not going to lie, I have had my… _conflicts_ with Spider-Man.” Jameson began. He was sharply dressed, but his age and seeming exhaustion was evident on his face. He still held fast and professional in his mannerisms though. “But I would never wish death upon him. I discovered his body and medical professionals note he was severely injured from rubble, perhaps relating to the string of earthquakes that have been hitting New York. We have decided to protect his identity, to protect his loved ones.”

Jameson held up the ripped Spider-Man suit for the camera to see, his face darkening as he stared at the mask’s eye lenses.

“That is all.”

The ex-chief of the Daily Bugle signed off and the newscaster continued on, wishing prayer and trying to keep hope in the hearts of the people of New York. This all droned out and Miles slowly turned over to his parents.

“But…”

“Peter is okay, Miles.” Jefferson reassured his son’s fears.

“We had a long talk with him and his family.” Rio added on. “They decided this was the best course of action.”

**...**

“Wilson Fisk will continue to look for me. For Spider-Man.” Peter began, a lot of his injuries had began healing but he was still restricted to a wheelchair to his dismay. “He doesn’t know my name, only my face. But he _will_ tear this city apart to finish me off.”

Mary Jane held her husband’s hand and squeezed it tight. “Peter, you’re not saying…?”

“I…” Peter paused. “I have to retire being Spider-Man. I have to get the news out there too, if anything it will buy time for Fisk to lay off the manhunt for now.”

“Who’s going to stop him, then?” Rio asked with her brows furrowed in concern.

“I don’t know.” Peter half lied. He knew he was the only one capable of stopping Fisk. There was nobody else. But that changed that night. Miles is around now. But he was worried, was there enough time to train Miles? Who knows how long it'll take Fisk to fix up the Super Collider. He was scared to death knowing he wasn’t able to swing and jump alongside Miles to keep him safe as well. One hand gripped his leg and his teeth grit.

_Some mentor I turned out to be._

“We shouldn’t worry about that now. I’m sure Officer Davis here can figure something out.” Aunt May noted.

“I’ll try my best.” Jefferson nodded in agreement.

“Then we need a way to get the news out there, but someone that we can trust with this secret.” Mary Jane asked around, she looked at Peter. She knew that face anywhere. It was the self pity, self hatred, brooding face. “ _Peter._ ” She snapped her husband out of his funk with her stern voice. “Someone you can trust?”

He shook his head, he was glad Mary Jane was there to pull him out of it before it got too bad. His mind began to race through the many faces and names. There was only one that stuck out, one that the news outlets would believe. Someone who’s worked in the industry before. “I think Jameson should know. He’s the best fit.”

“Jameson?” Rio echoed. “ _Dios mio,_ isn’t he the same man who tried to destroy your reputation for years?”

“He was.” Peter answered truthfully. “It took a while but I eventually told him the truth once we both left the Bugle on our own terms. Needless to say he was pretty shocked and regretful. He promised he'd help me out from then on, to make up for the years of public smearing he had done.”

“Okay then, we take the suit to him and he’ll use it as evidence. People will believe his word of mouth, but wouldn’t that put him on the cross hairs of criminals demanding to know more?” Mary Jane asked her husband.

Peter let out a chuckle. Jameson was never scared of anything. Be it petty criminal or super villain. “Remember Goblin broke through the windows of the Bugle and demanded Jameson tell him who took pictures of Spider-Man? Jameson didn’t break for one second. I think he’s more than up for the challenge.”

Mary Jane smiled, mostly at Peter letting out a genuine laugh since the past few days. “Okay, I’ll give him a call. Let’s hope it all goes well…”

. **..**

Miles sat back in his seat, it was a lot to take in but it was the best move to make. _Things are getting really serious now..._  he thought. Until his phone buzzed.

_[Peter Parker: It’s time. Meet tomorrow night after school, May’s backyard. Bring the goober.]_

Miles could only stare at his phone while a mix of emotions boiled inside him. Excitement, fear, happiness, worry. It’s all up to him now.

After dinner finished, he turned in for the night with Jefferson offering to drop him off to school despite his pleading to let him walk. It was no use arguing with his father so he just accepted it and scooted off to bed. That night, Miles could barely catch a wink of sleep. He was going to becoming the next Spider-Man, whether he liked it or not.

The day arrived and it went by quick. A quiet ride with dad, avoiding Gwanda and the numerous crowds of students laughing behind his back. He preoccupied himself with completing his tests as fast as possible and immediately turning his notebook over to sketch costume ideas. The emptied webshooter remained on his wrist that whole day until he finished up the school day and he promptly snuck outside his dorm window, carefully wall crawling out with his hoodie up.

He knew he wasn’t ready to swing yet, so he was somewhat thankful the webshooter was empty. He mostly ran through the streets towards Peter’s neighborhood. A few pit stops of course, he purchased a cheap Spider-Man costume from a comic book store. People all around him were devastated at the news that Spider-Man was “dead.” Miles was uncertain and sad that the hero was _technically_ dead, he knew he had massive shoes to fill. But he still kept forward, knowing Peter was going to be there every step of the way.

Every TV seemed to be replaying captured recorded events of Peter’s past battles. Miles was sure to stick around for a bit to study how Peter battled his villains, wondering if he could achieve the same sense of agility and strength his mentor had done. He was indeed writing down notes, as well as sketching the signature poses Peter had struck.

“A web swing king. A back flip dodge. A soaring uppercut.” Miles said to himself, he was wearing the cheap mask now. He felt powerful, somewhat. Being in a costume underneath his hoodie and shorts. _Is this how Peter felt?_

Miles continued on, it was a long run but his powers kept him stable throughout. He was never able to run this much before. The streets began to clear thanks to the light snowfall, so Miles had an easier time maneuvering through the streets without much crowds to worry about. There was something that caught his eye though, a large memorial for Spider-Man in Central Park.

He stopped his jog and turned a corner, hopping over the gate with ease and surprise. He approached the memorial carefully. There was just a mother and her child left, leaving behind their items and walking off. He waited until they were out of view before he approached it himself.

It was a grave for Spider-Man. Built in his honor, with hundreds of flowers, photos, gifts and all sorts of bits and pieces neatly surrounding it. Miles sighed, pulling his mask up. He crouched down and pulled out a page from his notebook, a fully colored drawing of Spider-Man he had done himself. He wedged it right between a photo frame and a bouquet of flowers. He stood up and smiled a bit, pulling his mask back down.

He held up the “goober” in his hands, just as Peter instructed. He was going to fulfill that promise, no matter what. Until…

“Hey kid!” An older man’s voice called out and Miles immediately freaked out, his hands suddenly powering up with a blue electricity. He turned around and slapped away the hand reaching for his shoulder, zapping the shadow figure several meters from him.

Miles quickly opened his eyes, staring down at his hands. A webstrand immediately landed on his chest and he was pulled forward. He landed face first into the snow and he struggled to pick himself up from the shock. He gathered himself and looked at his hands again, eyes wide like dinner plates from underneath his cheap mask at the things he saw. A web and a broken goober. _Oh no. Peter’s gonna kill me!_

The goober was short circuited from what he assumed was that bolt of lighting he somehow conjured up. His worries were not at an end there, as he began to trace the web strand to the body laying on the ground. He looked like a homeless man judging by his mismatched shoes, grey sweatpants and big green military jacket. But his face…

He looked like Peter Parker.

Miles’ spider-sense rang lightly and his eyes went over to the man’s hand, a webshooter was clear as day on his wrist.

“No…” He ran over to the man and crouched down, carefully moving the jacket’s lapels out of the way. A Spider-Man costume lied in wait beneath the jacket, it was legitimate. It looked so much like Peter's. “Who are you…?”

* * *

 

Alright people, let’s do this one last time.

My name is **Peter B. Parker.**

I was bitten by a radioactive spider and for the last 22 years, I thought I was the one and only: **Spider-Man.**

I’m pretty sure you know the rest. You see I saved the city, fell in love, I got married. Saved the city some more, maybe TOO much. My marriage got testy, made some dicey money choices, _DON’T_ invest in a Spider-themed restaurant.

Then like 15 years passed, _blah blah blah_ super boring. I broke my back, a drone flew into my face, I buried Aunt May, my wife and I… split up.

But I handled it like a champ!

Because you know what? No matter how many times I get hit, I ALWAYS get back up.

I'm the  **Amazing** Spider-Man, after all.

And I got a lot of time to reflect and work on myself. Did you know that seahorses that they mate for life? Could you imagine a seahorse seeing another seahorse and then making it work...?

She wanted kids and... it **scared** me.

I’m pretty sure I broke her heart.

Flash forward, I’m in my apartment doing push ups, doing ab crunches, getting strong.

When this weird thing happened… and I gotta say weird things happen to me a lot. But this was _real_ weird.

I got sucked into a portal and I landed in New York but… things were different.

Also I was dead. They didn’t reveal my… or his… me… his identity. But why else would ol’ J.J. report I’ve been killed and look sad while doing it? It was kind of… bizarre. I mean every New Yorker looked down in the dumps, there’s posters and tributes to me… or him, absolutely everywhere. They _loved_ him. These people **loved** Spider-Man... I never would’ve guessed this many people would’ve been heartbroken over my death. Or well, his death. I don’t know, but…

I have a feeling that the thing that brought me here… was the thing that got him killed.

You wanna know what happened next?

Me too…

* * *

 

Miles ran down the list of current problems he is now facing.

_One, I forgot finish up my homework._

_Two, I’m probably late meeting Peter!_

_Three, the goober is broken. Oh God the goober is BROKEN!_

_Four, Peter is SO gonna kill me for breaking the GOOBER!_

_Or would that be Three-A since it’s related to the goober? Uh… Wait, no._

_There’s another Peter Parker right in front of me!_

Miles pulled out his phone and began texting rapidly.

_[Miles Morales: I think I ran into a problem…]_

_[Peter Parker: What’s up, bud?]_

_[Miles Morales: Well the goober is broke and uh I ran into another You?]_

_[Peter Parker: Another me, wait what???]_

_[Miles Morales: Can you guys pick me up? I think it’s better if you see for yourself and I won’t be able to get away with carrying another grown man through the streets again]_

_[Peter Parker: Alright, just stay put. Where are you?]_

_[Miles Morales: Your memorial at Central Park!]_

_[Peter Parker: Me and MJ are on our way.]_

Miles put down his phone and sighed, sitting down on the snow. He looked over at the brown haired “Peter” still laying down on the ground. This was not how he imagined this training night would go.


	4. Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter B. Parker meets Peter Parker.

Peter Parker’s hands gripped onto his wheelchair’s armrests as Mary Jane guided him through the snow covered graveyard. The goober can be fixed, but what did Miles mean another ‘him?’ It grinded at the back of his head like a saw and he could only assume the worst.

There had been fakers in the past, whether it be the Chameleon trying to frame him again or copycat vigilantes who only got themselves hurt. There was even that one instance where an insane doctor offered to clone him, but he quickly denied. Even Venom was mistaken for him a few times before, but Miles specifically stated this was him as _Peter Parker_ not as Spider-Man.

It was not until the Parkers arrived to the scene to find a young Miles awkwardly standing a few meters away from a slumped body against a gravestone, Spider-Man’s gravestone.

Peter’s Spider-Sense rang, as did Miles… along with the shabby man in the green jacket.

“He’s… like me.” Peter said in a hushed, shocked tone.

Mary Jane carefully approached the man and gently held up his head higher in the light. What she saw nearly made her jump out of her skin, but she held fast and hadn’t accidentally broke the man’s jaw.

She observed his features. Every detail was just like her husband’s and at the same time, he was so different. He had brown hair, he was rugged, older and very beat up. Even the Spider-Man suit hidden underneath the green coat was the same exact materials.

“He’s… you, Peter.” The redheaded woman pointed out, her eyes widened in shock.

Peter’s own blue eyes strained at the sight of the man before him… no, another _him_ was right there. The face, it was like looking into a mirror. A very dirty, cracked mirror. The Spider-Man suit being so similar to the one he had underneath his own clothes didn’t give any form of comfort at all. He was speechless.

Miles looked back and forth at the Parkers, snapping them out of it. “We should take him back to your place? Maybe we can figure out why or how he got here?”

Peter and MJ looked at one another, Miles was right. MJ went over with Miles and the two picked up the brown haired Peter from the ground, his arms over their shoulders. Peter was almost out of his chair too until he remembered. He could only watch, helpless. For one moment, he glanced down at the other Peter’s legs. They weren’t limping. They weren’t broken. His blue eyes shifted down and he wheeled himself after MJ and Miles towards the car.

**...**

Peter B. Parker’s vision was blurry and his head was throbbing. His inner voice practically echoed in his own head as he tried to piece together what had happened.

_What was that...?_

_Kid electrocuted me… with his hands?_

His senses were slowly coming to. The sound of an engine and tires driving calmly through a street. He was inside a car, staring outside a window. He recognized these streets, he was in New York still. Though, not _his_ New York, it wasn’t that much different aside from strange fuzziness and coloration that was unexplainable. He looked over to his left, there was a boy in a cheap Spider-Man costume. In fact it was the same kid from earlier that shocked him. He tried to open his eyes, one worked but one was a bit bruised. His Spider-Sense rung in his head, as did the kid before him.

_I’m… not alone._

“You’re like me…” He said, more curious than relieved. He couldn’t show that.

“We have some questions for you.” Miles tried to say in a deep voice, to seem intimidating.

Peter B. chuckled a bit at that. He remembered when he tried to do that when he first started out. He shuffled in his seat and he saw from the corner of his eye the kid suddenly shift back out of surprise. “Jeez kid, relax. The tingling is supposed to tell you of danger, especially if it hurts your head.” He muttered and laid his head back. “Where am I anyway…?” He trailed off, his brown eyes suddenly picking up the most familiar sight aside from the New York City streets.

Red hair. Milky skin. Freckles. The perfume.

Mary Jane Watson briefly turned her head back. She was younger. But she seemed so tired.

That’s all it took. Peter B. could only see the image of his ex-wife’s face as he was signing the divorce papers. How she wept and wept every night, begging him not to go through with it. Saying things can be worked out, there can be a way for there always is was. And he never listened.

_I can’t be here._

Peter B. punched the car door, just enough to not break it too much and hopped into oncoming traffic.

“Peter?!” Miles exclaimed trying to make a grab for the older version of his mentor’s jacket, but he was far too fast.

“Holy sh--!” MJ screamed and almost swerved into a light pole in surprise, only for her husband to take control of the wheel and regain their balance. She saw Miles getting out of the car from the same door the brown haired Peter busted out of. “Miles, wait!”

Peter B. stepped onto the street, looking right at a taxi cab speeding towards him. He did nothing initially, but the taxi ended up in a screeching halt mere meters away from him. He sighed and began walking off, until that kid came up from behind him.

“Peter--” Miles reached out only to get struck with a string of webbing to his chest, knocking him back into the car’s backseat.

“Sorry, kid.” was all the older Peter could muster in a whisper and he continued walking through the street, blocking all sorts of cars and ignoring all the honks. He groaned and rolled his eyes, what kind of New York is this where they actually stop for people crossing the street?

His thought process was interrupted by the sound of his ex-wife’s voice. Or what only sounded like her voice.

“Peter, don’t go! It’s too dangerous if you’re seen out here!”

Little did he know, it wasn’t directed at him.

“Peter.” A new voice called to him in a much calmer manner. Why did it sound like…

Peter B. turned around back to the car. In the passenger seat, a blonde man pulled himself from the opened door, raising himself up just enough he’s visible. His Spider-Sense rang again. And so did the blonde man’s.

Peter B. stared at the man in the mirror. It was him, but he was younger and blonde. Fitter too. “What’s this all about…?” He turned his full body around to address the lookalike. He looked so much like him… but that blonde hair was so off putting, as well as a painful reminder that nudged the edge of his heart.

“Peter, please. Just get back into the car and we’ll try to figure everything out.” Peter told the older reflection. “Neither of us can be seen outside. There are people looking for me. And if they’re looking for me, they’ll see _you_ too. So please.”

A moment of silence passed through Peter B. like the cold wind chill, until more car horns erupted from his side out of his thoughts. He groaned and walked back to the car, passing right by the blonde version of himself. It was even more haunting up close.

“Thank you.” Peter nodded to the brown haired Peter. He received no response, but that was fine by him. Both Peters closed their doors and MJ wasted no time getting back to the road.

After webbing the door he broke shut, Peter B. removed the webbing off of Miles’ chest, the latter only offering a mild ‘thank you’ from the gesture. The older hero didn’t respond once more, all he could do is keep his eyes towards the window.

Not after what he saw. Mary Jane and the blonde Peter’s hands were held tight together.

It was practically mocking him.

_It’s not fair._

He could only drown out everything once more and close his eyes, hoping this was all truly a bad dream.

Unfortunately for Peter B. Parker, he opened his eyes after an hour and saw another painful sight.

Uncle Ben and Aunt May’s home. His old home.

He really wished those cars hadn’t stopped for him.

The car went into a stop and doors opened up, but Peter B. didn’t register any of it. He could only stare at the home from behind the car window. Miles was the first to see this and he was silent for a moment, unsure of what to do. He carefully reached out to the much older man’s shoulder and gently placed his hand onto it.

“Peter…?” Miles called. “C’mon, man. They’re waiting for you…”

That seemed to have shaken him out of it and Peter B. nodded, getting out of the car as slow as possible with Miles almost guiding him out. The two walked around the car and went to catch up with MJ and Peter, only for Peter B. to briefly stop in his tracks at the sight of his blonde self being helped into a wheelchair.

“What...  _happened_ to you?” Peter B. cautiously asked his other self with an increasing amount of worry in his expression.

Peter briefly met his older self’s gaze and tore away from it. He felt guilty being a bit bitter that the brown haired Peter was up and walking. But that look on his older self’s face quickly washed away all feelings of resentment. It’d hurt anyone if they saw themselves in such a condition, no matter what. “I’ll... explain more. Let’s just get inside.”

“I... I don’t think I can do this.” Peter B. said in a whisper just loud enough for the others to hear, it was a thought that was supposed to be suppressed.

MJ glanced over at the brown haired Peter. “Why, what’s wrong?”

Peter could only assume the worst. The other Peter was so disheveled, he looked so exhausted. As if all his own exhaustion, worries, guilt and self hatred formed into its own being. He tried to hurry the process by shooting a web string towards the doorbell, then wheeled himself towards the home.

MJ looked back and forth at the Peters, but decided to follow her husband in. Miles was right after her, looking back at Peter B. with those wide, youthful brown eyes. He didn’t budge, in reality he could just swung off and found some alleyway to hide in, but he didn’t. Especially not when the door opened up and Aunt May stood in the doorway. She looked at Peter, MJ, Miles and then her eyes shifted over at Peter B. himself.

She didn’t waste a single second approaching the older version of her nephew. May tilted her head scanning the man before her’s features, this Peter was so much older and a bit taller as well. But a dark cloud hovered over his head and the darkness under his eyes were evident from lack of sleep as well as other demons she could only imagine he’s going through. May decided no words were able to help, so she slowly grasped her arms around the brown haired Peter and held him tight, just as tight as she would hug her Peter.

Tears were pouring down the rough face of Peter B. His arms slowly rose up and he wrapped them around May as well. “I missed you so much, May…” He choked out, digging his face into her silver hair. He knew it wasn’t _his_ May. He buried her, right next to Uncle Ben. But this May, she was so much like his. There wasn’t a single difference between them, unlike him and the blonde Peter. The way she hugged him was exactly how his May had done for him too.

He only was reminded just how tired he was.

“He lost her...” Peter whispered in horror, just enough that MJ only could hear it. He pieced it all together. Tears threatened to burst from his eyes as well. He couldn’t even imagine having to go through something like that himself. “My God… he lost his Aunt May.”

Mary Jane looked down at the ring around her husband’s finger and then at the brown Peter’s same finger. There was a noticeable pale where a ring should be. She held a hand over her mouth, realizing that this Peter losing Aunt May wasn’t the only thing that happened to him. “He lost… his Mary Jane too.”

The Parkers looked at one another, it was like a horrible nightmare staring right at them in the face. But this was reality. The brown haired Peter’s reality. A reality no should have to ever deal with. MJ walked over to where May and Peter B. was and carefully wrapped her arms around them as well.

Peter B. Parker lost it at that point. He hasn’t cried that hard since he lost Uncle Ben.

**...**

“My name is Peter B. Parker… I was bitten by a radioactive spider and for 22 years I’ve been the one and only Spider-Man.” Peter B. began, looking up at both the blonde reflection and the young kid. “Until now, I guess.”

He gave a brief rundown of how he got to this New York and skimmed through the most painful parts as fast as he could. More tears seemed to almost burst from the other him, MJ and Aunt May when he recited what had happened to him, but he continued on.

Miles was the first to break the ice. “So… you’re from another dimension?” He questioned curiously, his mask pulled off his face. “Like a parallel universe where things are like this universe, but different. And you’re Spider-Man in that universe but somehow traveled to this universe and you don’t know how?”

“Wow, that was really just a guess?” Peter B. asked right back, mildly surprised.

Miles felt a bit proud. “Well… we learned about it in Physics.”

“Quantum Theory.” Both Peters corrected, almost like stereo around Miles’ ears.

MJ and May smiled at one another from that as well as Miles suddenly looking not so proud from being corrected.

“And how about you, blondie? What’s your story?” Peter B. questioned his other self.

Peter met the gaze of his older self and nodded, sighing before beginning his own explanation. He started how he had been tracking down the Super Collider for weeks and had to deal with multiple villains standing in his way. He continued on how he had met Miles and promised to mentor him, before nearly dying from being trapped within the particle beam of the collider itself. He continued on saying how the destruction rendered him paralyzed and thanks to Miles, he was able to escape. But how he was forced to retire as Spider-Man to keep the Kingpin and the other villains from tracking him as well.

“I see.” Peter B. took in the information like a sponge. “Well, in all honesty I’m glad you made it out alive. I’d hate to see a Spider-Man die.” He said, half hiding the truth that he himself would rather have went out quietly where no one could find him somewhere back in his universe.

“I think Norman putting me into the beam somehow caused a rift in the multiverse, opening up realities and bringing you into this dimension.” Peter hypothesized.

“Then could that mean old man Peter here isn’t the only other Spider-Man that was brought into this dimension?” Miles pondered, adding onto the questions.

“Old man?” Peter B. narrowed his eyes at Miles, who sheepishly smiled.

“Possibly.” Peter answered Miles. “If so, I hope they keep low and away from danger until we can find them. I’d hate for Kingpin to try and take a crack at a lost, confused Spider-Man who's not even from this world.”

“Well, that’ll have to wait. We have to rebuild the goober and put a stop to that collider.” Aunt May brought up, holding the destroyed goober in her hands.

Peter B. looked over at the goober and frowned. “I need that to go home. You guys can blow it up after I jump into it when it activates again.”

“I’m sorry, Peter.” Peter apologized to himself, which wasn’t anything new. “In my... condition I won’t be much help. You and Miles will have to take over from here on out.”

“Wait, I thought you were gonna show me the ropes?” Miles tilted his head at his mentor.

“Sorry, Pete. I work alone.” Peter B. shrugged his shoulders. “You should know that better than anyone.”

Peter sighed, he _does_ know that better than anyone. He realized just how annoying it sounded from another version of himself’s mouth too. “You need all the help you can get. I’ll stay in contact with a Spider-Bot and some ear pieces, but you two have to get to Alchemax and redownload the schematics so we can make a new goober here.”

“Spider-Bot?” Peter B. echoed out. “Wait, you’re telling me you didn’t make multiple copies of the schematics you stole from Alechemax too?”

The blonde man could only shrug his shoulders. “I was in a rush?” He attempted to defend himself, but turned it around on the older man in return. “And what, _you_ don’t have a Spider-Bot?”

“I only have webshooters, that’s all a Spider-Man needs gadgets wise. _Especially_ budget wise.” Peter B. stated very seriously. “If I wanted to prance around with a bunch of fancy crap, I would call up Tony Stark like a little brat who can't make anything for himself.”

Peter rolled his blue eyes. He's sure this other Peter was just as smart as he was, but perhaps he wasn't as well off as he himself was. After all he was glad Aunt May was supportive of his heroics and with her own smarts was able to help him out with several devices as well. Then with MJ's natural charisma and popularity as a model and singer, she was able to help gain funding thanks to licensing the Spider-Man image to several companies like the cereal and Christmas album people. With those traits combined, Peter was very well funded and loved in his career, something he doesn't exactly want to admit to this other Peter. He decided not to continue the debate after realizing this.

“Also, since Kingpin and his men are looking for you, you gotta do something about how you look and just in case, maybe your name too.” The older hero pointed out. “Haircut, maybe some hair dye too. I had a friend that did that once.” He didn’t want to specify Ben.

“What’d you have in mind?” Peter asked, a single yellow brow raised up.

“Call yourself Ben Reilly. Dye your hair brown, maybe. Cut it shorter, too.” He hated himself for bringing up that name.

“Ben…” Peter echoed, looking over at May. She had a similar, slightly sad expression as well.

“... Reilly.” May finished. That was her maiden name.

MJ looked at the both of them, seeming to be in very deep thought.

The blonde nodded curtly, staring at his older self. “Ben it is. Nice to meet you, Peter.” He falsely introduced himself, with a mild grin.

“My pleasure, Ben.” Peter B. greeted back, mirroring the same smile.

Meanwhile all Miles could think was how excited he was that he has not just one, but two Spider-Men for mentors.


	5. Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles and Peter B. Parker infiltrate Alchemex.

Miles eagerly tailed the two Spider-Men as they went into the backyard. He remembered Peter, well _his_ Peter (or Ben Reilly? Who knows, he’ll call him Peter still) said to meet him in said backyard. He could only imagine what was in store for him.

He heard the older Peter pipe up upon getting a good look at the general area, as well as the shed they were approaching.

“Oh I got one of these too.” Peter B. spoke aloud as he wheeled his blonde self forward. “A little shed where I keep all my Spider-Gear.”

“Glad I’m not the only one then.” Ben responded and stretched his hand out towards the lock and it shined a spider symbol in bright red. The door followed along as it too was shining with the same symbol and what previously appeared to be a normal wooden door suddenly slid open like an elevator.

Peter B.’s smug expression was quickly wiped and his brown eyes twitched at the sight, briefly stopping him Ben's tracks.

The blonde haired man turned his head back at his older counterpart. His lips cracked a grin instead seeing the shocked look on the other’s face, as well as the twinkle in Miles’ eyes. The three entered the elevator together and it descended down smoothly.

Peter B. Parker and Miles Morales entered the Spider-Cave, a vast underground base operated by the ultimate Spider-Man.

Miles and Peter B. gawked at the sights being shown off via spotlights. A spider themed buggy, a spider themed plane, massive computers and webbing decorating the cavern. As they touched down an entire line of Spider-Man suits housed in glass cases lit up, as if they were awaiting the trio’s arrival.

“Is yours anything like this?!” The youngest of the spiders asked the oldest with excitement.

“M-Mines just like this!” Peter B. attempted to cover. “But just take away the jeep, the plane… imagine it way smaller. Imagine a futon.”

Peter B. and Miles both went towards the direction of the line of suits to observe them. The brown haired man’s expression went flat, his eyes empty as it analyzed hard.

 _10 years of being Spider-Man and you already got all this, huh?_ He mused in his head.

The first suit he looked at was a red and gold one, the Iron Spider suit very much designed to be similar to the Invincible Iron Man. He did not know why this Peter kept the suit, perhaps he was actually on good terms with his Tony Stark. All Peter B. knew was that this suit in his dimension only brought bad memories, he hadn’t spoken to his Tony in ages and had long since destroyed the Iron Spider suit.

Speaking of armors, the shining silver and black Spider Armor suit was such a vast difference to what he had owned himself. Ben definitely took the time to polish and fix up the armor after use, something Peter B. never did. After using it to battle the gun toting New Enforcers, it lived up its usefulness and was thrown haphazardly aside and was eventually reused as scrap metal for other webshooter parts.

There were several more armored, glowing suits down the line. Peter B. figured this Peter just had the funds and proper tech create them for whatever purpose. However, the one with a large white spider emblem was unfamiliar to him. He didn’t dwell on it too much. After all, his previously calculating expression was replaced with mild disdain as he saw a costume with a cape on it that could rival Doctor Strange’s.

Peter B. looked over to where Miles was, he was staring wide eyed at the classic red and blue suit.

What the older hero didn’t know however, was just how small Miles felt before the costume behind the glass. His reflection’s eyes didn’t meet the mask lenses, no matter how hard he gawked.

“Which one should he get?” Ben asked, bringing the older one out of his funk. He was asking about the suits, of course.

“None.” Peter B. was quick to the curt reply.

The blonde man traded looks with the brown haired one. “Why not? After we get you home, he’s gonna be the only Spider-Man here.”

“Because he’s not ready yet.” His tired brown eyes met with the hopeful blue eyes. “What, do you plan on giving him all your fancy toys too?”

“Well, of course. I want to be there for him every step of the way.” Ben defended, furrowing his brows.

“That’s not it works, Pete.” Peter B. brought up. “He needs to learn things on his own. Do things on his own terms. Struggle is what made me a better Spider-Man. It’s what made _you_ a better Spider-Man.”

“And just because we struggled means he should too? Peter, I understand you’re bitter about being in the game so long—“

“I am not bitter!” Peter B. nearly yelled at the mirror. They both glanced back at Miles, who had a look of concern on his face. “I just… I don’t want him to be overly reliant anyone.”

“Peter...” Ben began much more calmly, the air between them cooling down just a tiny bit. “Wouldn’t you have wanted someone with you when you were growing as a hero?”

“Of course I would have. The aspiring kid back then would’ve done anything to have another hero to lead the way. Steve Rogers, Reed Richards, Bruce Banner, even Tony Stark…” He painfully admitted, pausing with a deep sigh. “But I don’t think I’d be who I am now if things did go that way.”

Ben shared the silence with his alternate self and nodded, looking down to his hand gripping the armrest of his wheelchair. He knew these loner tendencies, he’s guilty of pulling that card even to this day. And what did it cost him? His ability to walk. His ability to be Spider-Man. Ben mentally tortures himself every night, wondering what if he had some help? What if he placed his pride aside to actually ask for someone to join him on stopping Kingpin? He would’ve still been able to walk. He would’ve been able to swing right next to Miles through the city. The Spider-Men. That’s what he wanted when he first met Miles. But it was far too late for that now. Peter didn’t want to admit this to himself, Miles or even his grizzled alternate self before him.

“You guys okay?” Miles carefully asked the two Peters.

“Yeah…” Ben eventually answered, shaking himself out of his funk. “You two will be heading down to Alchemax to get another copy of the goober, since like Peter said I forgot to make a copy of the files.” He gestured over to the cases of costumes. “And speaking of. Peter, you’ll need a new suit.” Luckily there were multiples of the classic reds and blues.

Peter B. didn’t protest verbally but it was all over his face. He walked off towards the row of suits and grabbed a cleaner copy of his own disheveled suit as quickly as he could. Miles was left with Ben, who’s unease was lifted a bit. “Sweet, time for costumes. Where’s mine?”

“I think that one should be fine for now.” Ben grinned, nodding at the Halloween store bought costume Miles was in, who faintly looked embarrassed at it. “Just playin’ kid. Me and MJ will have something for you as soon as you guys get back.”

“Nice!” The younger spider practically jumped up with his fist outward. His creative mind raced all sorts of costume designs in his head. Purple and black? Black and red? Green and red? Big spider, small spider? There were limitless possibilities he could imagine.

Peter B. eventually returned, a fresh new Spidey suit but still choosing to wear his sweatpants over it. “This is a lot tighter than I imagined.” He strained as he stretched his body, the wrinkles on his face increasing.

“Just gotta break it in, Pete.” Ben chuckled.

“Yeah! It always fits, eventually.” Miles agreed.

The older Parker could only respond with a defeated groan, not wanting to argue any further.

**...**

Miles hid Ben’s webshooters over with his jacket sleeves. They were a little big, but they were only a loan for now. He trailed right behind the towering Peter B. who was casually walking down the sidewalk. “Yo Peter, what’s the deal? Shouldn’t we be swinging or something?”

“You kiddin’ me? On an empty stomach?” Peter B. scoffed and made a sharp right into a diner. “Let’s get some grub first in us, kid. Didn’t really wanna eat at Aunt May’s place, lest I fall into another depressive episode again.”

Miles didn’t know exactly what he meant but he followed anyway. Unfortunately for his wallet, Peter B. ordered enough food to feed a family and any room for speaking was busy being used for stuffing his face. Miles simply sat dumbfounded with his small soda.

He hadn’t gotten a chance to ask his Peter for any Spider-Man tips before they were shooed out so he figured he could ask this Peter. Though all the older one was able to offer was something about applying baby powder to the mask and joints to avoid chafing? All while shoving a handful of france fries into his mouth.

“I think you’re gonna be a bad teacher…” Miles regretfully admitted.

“Mhm. Look up where Alchemex is again.” Peter B. asked and the kid pulled out his phone to do so. Miles noted it was a private campus in Hudson Valley, as well as bringing up he could teach him how to swing there. That one got Peter B., he hadn’t laughed that hard in a good while.

One bus trip later and a montage of dressing down, Peter B. and Miles arrived at a foot of a hill overlooking Alchemex. Both in more or less full Spider-Men suits, after Peter B. quickly took off Miles’ mustard colored cape that practically disrespected the Spider-Man brand.

“Call blondie.” Spider-Man said while he scanned the area. Miles nodded and tapped into an earpiece given to him by Ben.

“Mr. Parker? It’s Miles, we’re at the campus now.”

“Read you loud and clear, Miles.” Ben responded from back in the Spider-Cave, as he piloted a tiny spider shaped drone surveying the campus as well. “You’ll need to infiltrate the lab, there’s a vent entrance on the top--”

“Already thought of that, way ahead of you. I’m gonna swipe a bagel by the way.” Spider-Man said into his own receiver, which felt uncomfortable in his ear.

“A bagel? Why don’t you get pita?” Ben sounded slightly offended.

“Oh you’re one of _those_ guys. It’s cool, I’ll steal one for you just so I can trash it right before your eyes.”

“Can we focus?” Miles sighed.

“Sorry.” Both Peters apologized in union. “Anyways, vent entrance. Find the head scientist, Dr. Olivia Octavius.”

Spider-Man blinked once and spoke again. “I’m sorry, did you say Olivia Octavius? Like, _Doc Ock_ Octavius?”

“Yeaaaah…” Ben slowly said. “She on your world too?”

“ _He's_ on my world alright. Otto Octavius. Swell guy, good with handshakes.” Spider-Man sarcastically explained quickly, then looked back at Miles, who looked more in shock that the woman was actually a supervillain. He began thinking to himself, sure he has tangoed with the multi-armed doctor before, but from _his_ dimension. He wasn’t sure how this one would fair, nor if she would go easy on young Miles. This was already looking far too dangerous to bring the kid along, Doc Ock is one of his most dangerous foes in his rogues gallery after all.

“Miles, you should keep a lookout. Very important. I’ll go in myself.” Peter B. said as he did a couple stretches to warm himself up.

“Wait, why? You gotta teach me to be able to do Spider-Man stuff or I’m not gonna be able to help.” protested Miles as he was stuffing their clothes in his backpack.

“He’s right, Pete. I know Ock is dangerous, but if you can just stay out of her sight you guys won’t have to fight her.” Ben backed the younger spider up.

Spider-Man nodded. “Yeah, he won’t have to fight her alright. Because I’m gonna do this quick and easy.” He shot out a web strand and began swinging away. “Watch and learn kid, I’ll quiz ya later!”

Miles could only watch as the older hero grew smaller and smaller the closer her got to the facility. “Ugh. Why did I get stuck with the janky old broke hobo Spider-Man?” He complained as he slid his back against the boulder into a sitting position. He punched the boulder, easily cracking it in half. “Huh. That’s new.”

“Don’t worry about it Miles. We can still make this work.” Ben tried to reason over the radio.

Miles didn’t respond, only huffing out of his nostrils. The sound of a car engine coming to a stop alerted him and he peeked over the cracked boulder. A shady large black car pulled up to the entrance of the campus, his eyes squinted and went wide at a familiar site. He was like a black hole eating away at everything in his path, a gigantic figure in a deep black suit stepped out of the car as guards opened the doors for him.

“Kingpin...” Miles felt a stab at his chest upon seeing this fearsome man and he quickly hid back behind the boulder. Fear was taking over him again.

“Fisk is here too? Crap… Miles, we’ll have to just let Peter handle this after all… like I said we can still make something work.” Ben radioed and after a pause of no response, he called again. “Miles?”

The sight of a broken down Peter Parker nearing death over the towering Kingpin flashed in Miles eyes again. He was lucky enough to have saved Peter but… what if he can’t save Peter B. Parker? His frightened eyes slowly shifted into one of uneasy determination. He hated himself for this but he wasn’t going to let it happen again. “You’re right… we will make something work.” He sprung out from his position and since he was still unsure how to properly swing, he chose to run across the snowy hills towards the facility.

_What am I doing, what am I doing, what am I doing?_

Miles managed to wall crawl up against the side of the building past the sight of the burly looking guards dressed in non fitted scientist garb.

“Wait Miles, what are you doing?” Ben asked, scanning the top floor with this drone.

“Forget what Peter said about staying back, I gotta help him. One bad guy can be handled but I’m not gonna let him face two alone!” The teenager responded and found the vent, already torn open by Spider-Man and jumped right in. It was a bit of a messy jump as he bumped around the vent with a sharp yelp.

“Okay… I have faith in you. I’ll keep watch outside.” The blonde Parker said, giving Miles another boost of confidence.

Miles nodded and crawled forward until he caught a glimpse of Kingpin and his bodyguard Tombstone turning around to look upwards, and he pressed himself against the vent walls to hide until they turned away. His chest sharp with fear and once they continued on, he crawled forward whispering for Peter B.

In only a couple of seconds Miles bumped into Peter B.’s backside.

“What’re you doing here?!” Spider-Man questioned in a whisper, surprised to see Miles having tailed him.

Miles squeezed past Peter B. so he could be next to him. “Kingpin’s here!”

“You need to go back outside, kid!” The older wall crawler said, only to get shot back by the younger one.

“No! I can’t let Spider-Man almost die another time, I almost lost Peter and we’re not losing you! I’m not letting you guys get hurt ever again!” Miles defended, he only realized just how much he had said when Peter B. could do nothing but stare at him. “What…?”

“Most people I meet in the workplace try to kill me so…” Peter B. admitted slowly. “You’re a nice change of pace.”

The two shared a smile and nodded to each other, a mutual newfound respect for one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay please enjoy


End file.
